Tag Archives: neo-paganism

The Unitarian Universalist Church

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The roots of the Unitarian Universalist Association are somewhat varied. Early in the history of the Reformation there arose a move toward heretical teachings about the nature of Jesus Christ, especially regarding his deity. Faustus Socinus (1539-1604) was an Italian who moved to Poland and there became the spokesman for a Unitarian view of God. That is to say, he rejected the idea of the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Socinus and his “Polish Brethren” considered themselves the defenders of the true Christian faith. Continue reading →

By the Pricking of My Thumbs

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I remember counseling a woman who was suffering from a great deal of fear in her life. Over the course of several weeks, I discovered that this woman had had several experiences with occult undertones. I felt that an intensive exploration of occult influences in her life was necessary. We sat down one evening and spent about two hours diagnosing her exposure to the occult. Although she was raised in church, and had a rather ordinary life, we found that she had experienced about 25 different instances of involvement in things of a demonic nature. This included everything from yoga and seeing ghosts to ouija boards and seances. No wonder there was a spirit of fear in her life! Continue reading →

Snapshot: Wicca and Witchcraft

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When someone uses the word “witchcraft” what comes to your mind? The TV show “Bewitched”? Broomhilda? Silly Halloween decorations? Witch doctors in Africa? Worshippers of Satan? Obviously the word has many connotations and is used in a variety of ways. And sometimes the various ways can be very confusing.

Take for instance the matter of Wicca. Wicca is a modern form of witchcraft. Although it claims to be the “Old Religion” and its adherents believe that their belief system can be traced to prehistoric times, in fact Wicca was basically created by a few individuals in the 20th century—Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders among them. What they created is a pagan, occult religious system came to be called Wicca. But often Wiccans will refer to their beliefs and practices as “witchcraft.” And this is what causes confusion. Continue reading →